After a slow start, we had 42 people at the October 14th dance. At our Halloween Dance on October 28th, 40 people enjoyed dancing. The costumes were varied and original, with a witch taking first place in the cotume contest. Our heartfelt thanks to Robert Seay for the ChaCha instruction we received.

The October 14th Board Meeting agenda included discussion on outreach to high schools, French night on November 11th, election of Vice President, Secretary and Member At Large for 2007, USC Dancesport Team, decreasing membership, and the Charlotte Elfe Memorial Scholarship. The next Board Meeting will be held November 11th, 6:30 PM, at The Barn.

Happy Birthday to: Melissa Bush, Bryon Catoe, Jake Halford, Lisa Hsu, Doris Wood, & Reba Woodford.

Welcome to new members: Michelle Gray, Christine Long, Stephanie Rodis, & Sean Sluys, all students at USC.

FROM THE PRESIDENTS DESK

Behind the Scenes: Have you ever wondered how the dances appear on the second and fourth Saturdays? Who are the elves and where do they come from? Let’s peek behind the scenes to see the preparations for each dance.

Stephanie Muga oversees the DJs. She is responsible for the music at each dance. She schedules the DJs, buys the music, organizes the music and makes sure that we have a variety of rhythms to dance to at each dance. 

She and Al Jayne are no longer available to serve as DJs on a regular basis. We thank them for their long-term service. 

It is now time to allow others the opportunity to serve as DJ at one of our dances. Emma Sharpe has volunteered and did a wonderful job on Saturday, October 29th. However, we still need additional volunteers. Stephanie makes it easy because she burns dance CDs with several songs on each. This ensures that there is minimal searching, exchanging and cueing CDs. We will provide any needed training. Call Patricia Hill (803 781-5248) if you are interested or have any questions. Remember, as you enjoy dancing at one of our events, we wouldn’t have music without Stephanie and the DJs. Thank them and consider becoming part of the team.

French Night: The November 11th dance will be a special French Night dance. Members of the Alliance Francaise will be joining us. The Ballroom will be decorated and French food will be served. There will also be door prizes. Donna Swinbank, Youth and Outreach Committee Chair, is in charge. She welcomes donations of food items or door prizes. Please see her for further information. 

Special Student Admission Fees: For the months of October, November and December, students under age 21 will be admitted free. Student fees are usually $5.00 for guests and $4.00 for members so this is a bargain!

Behavior of Our Young Guests: We are excited that students of all ages wish to learn ballroom dancing. Many of us wish we had started earlier. However, to keep everyone safe, there can be no running or playing on the dance floor. If students do not wish to participate in the lesson or dance, they should occupy themselves off the floor. We don’t want anyone hurt in a dance collision or fall on the floor.

News Flash: Ron Morton has been appointed Program Chairman with the approval of the chapter’s Board. The Program committee is tasked with organizing the dances, securing professional instructors to teach at each dance and coordinating decorations, music, mixers and other activities at the dances. Please see Ron if you have any suggestions for future dances.

Lost and Found: Whenever an item is found at the end of the dance, Patricia Hill takes it home for safe-keeping. If you miss something, call her (803 781-5248) to see if she found it.

Amateur Dancers Wanted: We invite amateur couples of show off their dancing at the first dance (second Saturday) of each month. Costumes or choreography are not necessary. We can have up to three couples at each dance. Find a partner, pick some music and see Ron Morton or Patricia Hill to sign up.

The Fancy Feet Dancers performed at Atria At Forest Lake on October 7th for an appreciative audience. The three couples were asked to return in the near future, after the residents said they felt like they had “gone Hollywood”. Thanks to the effort of Norma Davis and Al Jayne, this outreach effort continues to be a bright spot for people who may not enjoy many bright spots. Four couples are scheduled to perform at The Haven on November 4th.

There is only one dance in December, so when you attend the December 9th dance, our semi-formal Holiday Ball, remember to bring a gift for a child to be donated to a local charity. The gift may be wrapped or unwrapped, but it needs to be marked according to age and gender. 

Waltz definition at www.ballroomdancers.com: A ballroom dance in ¾ time which first developed in Vienna as a fast paced dance to the Strauss music of the time, and eventually evolved into the slower version we now know as Waltz (or Slow Waltz).

EXPERIENCE THE EXCITEMENT! LIFE’S A DANCE – DON’T MISS A STEP OF IT!            

November Dances

Saturday, November 4th

and

Saturday, November 25th

7:30 PM to 10:30 PM

THE BARN

Complimentary Waltz Lesson
with Paul Lagatore, 7:45-8:30

Light Refreshments